Word
Ook al volgen we de module deeltijd, hij blijft pittig.
Meaning
Even if we take the module part-time, it remains tough.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Ook al volgen we de module deeltijd, hij blijft pittig.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
blijven
to stay
volgen
to follow
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about Ook al volgen we de module deeltijd, hij blijft pittig.
Why is the verb volgen placed right after ook al instead of at the end of the clause?
This is a special rule for ook al (even if / even though). Unlike most linking words that introduce a sub-clause (like hoewel), ook al does not push the verb to the end. Instead, it is immediately followed by the verb, and then the subject. So we say Ook al volgen we... instead of Ook al we... volgen.
Why does the second part start with hij blijft instead of blijft hij? Doesn't the first clause trigger the V2 rule?
Normally, yes! If you start a sentence with a sub-clause, the main clause must start with a verb (the V2 rule). However, ook al is a big exception. A clause starting with ook al does not count as the first position for the main clause. Therefore, the main clause uses normal word order: subject (hij) followed by verb (blijft).
Why use hij (he) to refer to a module? Shouldn't it be het (it)?
In Dutch, het is only used to refer to het-words. Because module is a de-word (de module), you must refer to it using hij (he) or sometimes zij (she), even though in English we just say 'it'.
I thought pittig meant 'spicy'. Does it mean something else here?